Purpose:
You wish to import Custom Fields (warranty information, service tag, implementation date, chassis color, etc.) using the Custom Fields Import Wizard.
Resolution:
To import Custom Fields, perform the following:
1. Create the Comma Separated Value (CSV) file. In this example, the CSV contains the following headers: Computer, Warranty Expires, Color, Spirit Animal, Serial #, Needy User, Disk Drives. While headers are not necessary, they do make field mapping easier.
NOTE:
The computer name does not need to be the first field/column, but a computer name is necessary for the import to work correctly. The computer name field defines how custom fields are mapped to computers.
2. Go to Options > Custom Fields and click Import Wizard. You can also create your Custom Fields first (New Field), though this isn't necessary to import. Or in the Computer window > Custom Fields click Import Wizard. For more information on creating custom fields, see the Documentation.
3. In the Custom Fields Import Wizard window, use the file picker to select your CSV file.
4. Because the CSV has headers, the "Has Headers" option is checked. Uncheck this if you are importing a CSV without headers. Using the example CSV above, the Custom Fields Import Wizard looks like this:
5. Using the drop-down arrows in the Custom Field Mapping column, select the (new custom field) to create a new field, (skip) to skip the field entirely, or select from any existing custom fields (if you created the fields prior to the import). In this example, new custom fields are created.
6. Click Next. You will now be presented with any potential errors and a preview of the data that will be imported.
NOTE:
If you receive any errors listed in the Errors pane, those will need to be corrected prior to importing the data. You will need to correct this in the CSV file then import the file again. The only exception is if the CSV file includes a computer that does not exist in PDQ Inventory, the import can still be completed, as is, but will not include that particular computer.
7.Once you have reviewed the data, click Finish to import the data.
8. The new Custom Fields have now been added and can be viewed in Preferences > Custom Fields; the values for each Custom Field can also be viewed in the individual Computer window > Custom Fields page.
9. To view the Custom Fields in the All Computers window, navigate to View > Edit Columns, select (Ctrl + click) the new Custom Fields, click the ">" to move them to the visible columns. Once in the visible columns, you can hit the up/down arrows to adjust their position.
10. Click Close and view the results.
This information can be used in creating Dynamic Collections and Reports.
Troubleshooting:
Using the same CSV example above, I have chosen the incorrect Type while creating new custom fields.
This results in the following errors on the next window:
See Also:
Documentation: Custom Fields Import Wizard
